Sir Nick Clegg has become chairman at on-demand social care startup Cera

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The startup, which uses technology to match up those needing care with an experienced carer, has partnered with the NHS to provide on-demand social care across the UK, and the firm says it has racked up growth of 25 per cent month-on-month.

Former deputy Prime Minister Clegg said:

The country faces huge challenges in the funding and provision of social care, and it is clear that fresh and innovative thinking is required to meet them.

We are only just beginning to see the potential of technology in public services, and I am enormously excited by the work that Cera is doing – particularly through the use of artificial intelligence – in this area.

Clegg said he was particularly drawn to the firm due to the way it has helped reduce the number of elderly clients who end up in hospital.

"Far too many vulnerable elderly people languish in hospital beds when they could be looked after better in their own home or in residential settings," he added.